English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

Etymology — The origins of English words

Where do words come from? Trace the origin and history of any English word, from its Latin, Greek or Old English roots through to its modern meaning. Every etymology is sourced.

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From French eau ("water"), from Latin aqua — making it a doublet of the English word "aqua."

Origin uncertain, first recorded in the 1940s; possibly linked to "snug."

From Latin passio, "suffering," from patior, "to suffer" — originally referring to enduring pain, later extended to any strong emotion.

From Old English ċildhād, formed from "child" plus the suffix -hood, which marks a state or condition.

From Old French tumulte, from Latin tumultus, meaning "commotion" or "uproar."

From Late Latin anonymus, from Ancient Greek anonymos, "without a name," from an- ("without") plus onoma ("name").

From Old French denoier, from Latin denegare ("to refuse utterly"), built from de- ("away") and negare ("to say no").

From detonate + -or.

From social + the suffix -ist.

From Old French oposite, from Latin oppositus, the past participle of opponere, "to set against" — related to "oppose."

From Old French opposer, ultimately shaped by Latin ob- ("against") plus ponere ("to put"), replacing the earlier Latin verb opponere.

From Old French oposicion, from Late Latin oppositio, ultimately from Latin oppono, "to set against" — the same family as "oppose" and "opposite."

From Old French blasmer, going back through Latin to Greek blasphēmeîn — the same root that gives us "blaspheme."

From insist, on the model of French insistance.

From un- + comfortable.

From un- ("not") + identified.

From Middle French responsable, ultimately tied to Latin respondere, "to respond." The English spelling comes from an Old French variant, responsible.

From an older word "clew", meaning a ball of thread — it traces back to the myth of Theseus, who used a ball of thread to find his way out of the labyrinth.

From French penchant, literally "leaning" or "tilting," from pencher ("to lean").

Old English · 1600

From an Old English root meaning "to dig"; the slang sense of "food" appeared in the 17th century, possibly linked to the idea of birds digging up grubs to eat.

Ultimately from Latin caput ("head"), by way of Old French chief — making "chief" a distant cousin of "captain," "cap," and even "head" itself.

From Old English cest, "box," ultimately from Latin cista and Greek kiste — originally always meant a storage box; the body-part sense developed later by comparing the ribcage to a box.

From Old Norse kartr, merging with the native Old English word cræt — both meaning a wheeled wagon.

From Old Northern French canevas, ultimately from Latin cannabis, "hemp." A doublet of "cannabis."